ANDOVER TOWNSHIP -- Dressed in their best cocktail dresses and suits, more than 220 people got to their feet to dance and sing the night away to a variety of Broadway tunes including "Oh, What a Night" from "Jersey Boys," sung by The Sandra Joseph All-Stars, during the SCARC Foundation Honors Leadership Awards Celebration and Silent Auction on Thursday evening.

The event, held at Perona Farms and emceed by Fox News' Heather Childers, honors those who have been of great support to the SCARC Foundation mission as well as the community as a whole.

This year's honorees during the "Tribute to Broadway" gala included Robert A. Vandenbergh, senior executive vice president of Lakeland Bank, and Sutherland Packaging Inc. They were honored for their dedication to improving the lives of children and families in northwest New Jersey, including those with developmental disabilities.

"(It's) a terrific event," Vandenbergh said. "Very pleased, always, to be able to do something for an organization such as (SCARC)."

Vandenbergh, who has been involved with SCARC since 1991, added that while the evening's honorees are singled out for their contributions, there are multitudes of others who are just as deserving of recognition for their roles.

"The honoree is there and (serves) as a symbol," he said, "but really it's important at those events to recognize the SCARC volunteers, the staff, the administration, members of the community. There's so many people that go into the success of (this) organization."

Virginia "Ginny" Shelton received the lifetime achievement award for her dedication to the SCARC family of services.

"Oh my, it was such a great night," she said of the evening. "It was very nice."

Shelton, who lives just outside Branchville, said she got involved with SCARC 37 years ago since the organization's efforts hit close to home.

Her daughter, Bonnie, has Rett's Syndrome, a rare genetic neurological and developmental disorder, and has participated in many SCARC programs over the years, she said.

Shelton and her husband, Gordon Shelton, who died in 2009, had volunteered any way they could for SCARC over the years, and Ginny Shelton, as she likes to be called, has continued to this day.

Gordon Shelton joined the SCARC board in 1980 and was also a member of The ARC of New Jersey Board of Trustees, serving as president from 1994 to 1995.

When he died, the SCARC Walk-a-Thon, which he started in 2002, was named in his memory as a tribute to all he did, but on Thursday evening, the night was to honor Ginny Shelton and all she has contributed to the organization.

"When they called me and told me I was getting this award, I was so amazed," she said. "My husband was always getting the awards all these years for everything he did, so I wasn't used to it."

Shelton, who said her husband would have been "very proud" of her for receiving the award, intends on continuing her "husband's vision."

"I will continue to (volunteer at SCARC) as long as I am able," she said. "It is so important to give (SCARC clients) the life they deserve."

The event also included about 240 items up for grabs during a silent auction, including concert tickets to U2 and Bon Jovi, and a seven-day Holland American Cruise to the Caribbean.

The event was a tremendous success, said Chris Hemmer, chief development officer of the SCARC Foundation, and raised more than $135,000, breaking a previous event total record of $125,000.

All monies raised from the event and the auction support SCARC Inc. and SCARC Guardianship Services Inc., whose mission is to support the needs of those with developmental disabilities.

SCARC and SCARC Guardianship Services Inc. serve more than 750 children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. The organization operates 21 group homes, one individualized living program and eight supportive living apartments in Sussex County.

Lori Comstock can also be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.